§ Mr. Fabian HamiltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether coroners have the power to delay the release of bodies because no funeral arrangements have been made. [159970]
§ Paul GogginsCoroners are not empowered to delay releasing the body of a deceased person solely because no funeral arrangements have been made. However, if the persons to whom the body should be released cannot agree on the mode of disposal or who should arrange the funeral the coroner will be entitled to retain the body pending resolution of the dispute.